placing a name
by Roses Rusted
Summary: The great Uchiha prodigy he may be, Sasuke is still human. And like like all humans, you tend to forget some things. SasuSaku NejiTen


_A/n: The idea was… amusing. I couldn't let it pass. Please enjoy!  
_

_Oh, I don't own Naruto. I know. Shocker._

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**placing a name**

by: Roses Rusted

* * *

The Hokage's eyes actually left the scroll she was examining to eye the Uchiha. The expression on his face seemed so serious that Tsunade was taken back.

"Care to repeat that, Uchiha?" she said, bemused now.

His brow twitched. He didn't like repeating himself. "I need a sparring partner who can handle a katana."

"Ah, I see." She smiled, lacing her fingers atop her desk. "Can't Kakashi assist you?"

"He's on a mission." was the curt reply. She was wasting his time. All he needed was name for her and he would do the rest. Was that _too_ much?

"Oh, yes. He's been gone for quite a while now…" she smirked. Oh God, she was taunting him.

Sasuke bit his tongue. He was already on a year probation. He didn't need anymore punishment for verbally harassing the Hokage.

"Well, I don't see why you had to come here and request one. There are many skilled swordsmen in Konoha. Don't know any?" she continued.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," he said flatly. "they don't seem to provide much challenge…"

"Oh, I see, Konoha's swordsmen not good enough for you?" she frowned. How she hated Uchiha egos.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked.

There was silence as Tsunade contemplated whether of not she was making the right choice. She then sighed, grabbed a blank scroll and scribbled something on it. After rolling it up, she tossed (hurled) it at the Uchiha who caught it easily, the smirk still grazing his lips.

"I suppose we can't let your skill go unpracticed. I can imagine how our forests have already suffered." She said, picking up the scroll she had been reading. "That is an order from me to your sparring partner. I imagine that she would not have complied without it. She is already quite busy."

_She?_ He would spar with a girl?

"Her name, Hokage-sama?"

And for the second time, she was forced to look up from her scroll. "Tenten of course. Who else?"

"Right, Tenten."

He bowed and left the room.

"_Who?"_

* * *

Why he didn't clear it with Tsunade was simple. Sasuke was proud. _Too_proud. Imagine all the respect he would lose if he were to admit that the great Uchiha protégé didn't know something he was obviously suppose to know. How he would disgrace his name!

Judging by how the Hokage recommended her, she obviously thought he knew who this _Tenten_ was. Otherwise, she would have told him where to look for her or at least tell him her surname. Maybe even lend him her file to see for himself is she was capable.

He was sitting on one of the benches outside the Hokage tower, his katana laid out beside him. He reached into his pocket for the scroll and rolled it open again.

_Tenten—_

_The Uchiha requires a sparring partner to match his skill with the katana. Please assist him and keep him practiced until Hatake Kakashi's return. This will be considered a B-ranked mission, so you will be compensated._

_Tsunade_

_The Fifth Hokage_

_PS Make sure to kick that brat's ass._

Sasuke frowned at the post script. Frowned at the whole letter actually. Tsunade seemed to hold this Tenten to a high standard. So she must be good. But good enough to reach _his_ standards was for him to decide.

When he figured out who she was, that is.

Sasuke cursed under his breath as he racked his brains for any memory of the name. None came to mind. Why would Tsunade think he knew her? Was she a teammate in a previous mission? Sasuke doubted it. Since his return to Konoha, the number of missions he had was _zero_. Mainly because of the probation.

Maybe an old classmate? Shit, that would mean she was or still is one of his loyal fan girls. He _knew _he should have had them listed!

The Uchiha shook his head to clear it. Maybe he was going at this the wrong way. Maybe she wasn't even his age. Maybe she was an old hag who happened to be a talented swordswoman back in the day. Sasuke fought the urge to smash his head against the tree that had been providing him shade.

"Sasuke?"

Said person cracked an eye open to his name. And who else could it be but Haruno Sakura, standing in front of him in all her 'I'm so over you, Uchiha Sasuke!' glory. "What are you doing here?"

It still surprised Sasuke to no end how she had ceased her fan-girling over him. She had been the one in fact who gave him the first concussion he had had in a while after setting foot in the Hidden Village of Leaf.

"…Hn." He grunted, closing his eye.

Sakura's brow twitched. "Che, fine. Ignore the friendly curiosity." She turned her heal and went back on her way.

"Wait." _Sigh. So long, Pride. Farewell, Dignity._ "I need your help."

Sakura stopped in her tracks and stayed still for quite a while. She then turned her head sharply and glared at him. "Is this suppose to be a joke, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked at her before getting up, strapping his katana to his back. Soon enough, he was towering over her. "I don't joke. Have you forgotten me so easily, Sakura?"

He purposely let her name roll off his tongue is a prolonged manner. Why? Because he liked the shade of red she'd turn into. _Over me, my ass._

"Uhm… uh well—_whose fault is that?_For all I know, you were cracking up jokes left and right in Sound!" she argued, then huffed turning away from him again. But alas, Sasuke wasn't a genius for nothing. He knew she just didn't want him to see her flushed face.

"Sakura, I need to find someone."

The facts were working in Sasuke's favor. Sakura could never turn down a cry for help. Not that Sasuke was crying. And she _would _turn down a cry for help if it came from an enemy. Like, _Itachi. _Yeeeah… Sakura would never help a lying, deceitful, _home-wrecking—_

"SASUKE!"

"Annoying. Don't scream in my ear."

"But you spaced out. What was I suppose to do? Leave you in the middle of the street?"

"..Hn." Why was he talking to her again? Tenten! Right. "I need your help."

Her bottle-green eyes rolled. "Yeah, you said that already. That's why I'm still here. So spit it out then."

He wordlessly handed her the scroll. She took, unrolled, and read it, her eyes scanning it. She then looked at him skeptically. "Okay… so…?"

"…?"

"What exactly do you need help with? Tsunade-sama already gave you something she can't refuse so I don't think Tenten-san would—"

Then he mumbled something.

"What?"

"Iduntnuwhushees."

"Sasuke, you're really starting to worry me…" she said, making a move to land her hand on his bare forehead. But he grabbed her wrist just in time.

"I'm fine." He said as she drew her hand back.

"Then _what?_"

"I don't know who she is!"

Oh, shit. What had the great Uchiha Sasuke come to?

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_A/n: Right, well, this is was suppose to be a one-shot, but it somehow turned out longer that I expected. Forgive my dry humor... I'm not so talented with punch lines and such. I hope you enjoyed it anyway! I'll try to update ASAP._


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